


To Return Home

by pterawaters



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Getting Back Together, Kid Fic, Multi, Polyamory, Returning Home, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23947339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pterawaters/pseuds/pterawaters
Summary: Of the three of them, no one expected it would be Steve who moved away from Hawkins first. Then again, he hadn't had a choice in the matter. Not when his parents caught him with Jonathan and summarily shipped him off to military school to 'straighten him out.' It takes him three years to gather up the courage to move back to Hawkins, three years to gather up the courage to talk to Jonathan and Nancy again.
Relationships: Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers/Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler
Comments: 5
Kudos: 119





	To Return Home

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for day six of [Stoncy Week 2020](https://stoncyweek2020.tumblr.com/), for the "we dated in high school but then you moved away but now you’re back in town" prompt.

Of the three of them, no one expected it would be Steve who moved away from Hawkins first. Then again, he hadn't had a choice in the matter. Not when his parents caught him fucking Jonathan and summarily shipped him off to military school to 'straighten him out.'

As soon as he graduated, Steve fucked off to New York, and for the first two years he didn't let himself look back. He dated girls and he dated guys and he worked as a waiter and it wasn't a great life, but at least it was his.

The problem was that his life was his, _alone_. 

Thinking about the afternoons the three of them had spent laying together and dreaming about the future, Steve couldn't let those dreams go. Not really.

So one day in summer, he packed all his shit, quit his job, and drove back to Indiana. 

Arriving in Hawkins in the middle of the night felt eerie and unnerving, especially compared to the city that never slept. No wonder he hadn't missed this place. Only the people in it. He didn't even know if any of those people were still here. Jonathan's mom had been making noise about moving somewhere else before Steve got sent away. Nancy had probably gone to college, and assuming she'd come back for the summer was likely a mistake.

Letting his parents force him away from them had been a mistake. He hated himself for taking so long to figure out.

Steve got a room at the motel on the far edge of town and caught a few hours sleep. He showered, dressed in his least-wrinkled clothes, and went to the diner down the street for his first real meal since the day before last. He'd barely stepped through the door when he noticed the boy behind the counter, busily doing something to the coffee maker. Except he wasn't a boy anymore, was he? His shoulders were broader than Steve remembered, his arms thicker, and his hair a lot shorter. Steve's fingers still ached to touch him.

His heart beating wildly in his chest, Steve gathered all of his courage and walked up to the counter, sitting directly in behind Jonathan and saying, "Hi."

"I'll be right--" Jonathan started to say, but then he froze for a second before whipping around to face him. Eyes wide, Jonathan asked, "What are you doing here?"

"It's nice to see you, too," Steve said, laughing when Jonathan hurried around the counter. Steve stood up to greet him, accepting Jonathan into his arms like it hadn't been almost three years since they'd been forced apart. 

Steve hugged Jonathan just as tightly as Jonathan hugged him. It felt like an embrace he didn't deserve, but he wanted it so much he took it anyway. Like a criminal. A thief. A _deviant_. Burying his face in Jonathan's neck, he held on and just _breathed_ , trying not to cry.

"I didn't mean to ambush you at work," Steve said, letting go when Jonathan started to loosen his hold. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Jonathan told him, one hand still on Steve's arm, like he couldn't let go. Steve understood the feeling.

Then he noticed it, the ring on Jonathan's hand. "You got married?"

"Oh," Jonathan said, looking at his hand. "Yeah, we kinda had to." He gave Steve a regretful sort of smile.

Confused by whatever Jonathan was trying to imply, Steve asked, "What do you mean, you _had_ to?"

Jonathan bit his lip and looked away before he said, "Your parents wouldn't tell us where you were. We had no way to contact you."

"Yeah, I know," Steve said with a sigh. He sat down at the counter again, relieved when Jonathan sat next to him. "I thought about calling, after I turned eighteen and they couldn't stop me anymore, but I didn't know…" He looked up at Jonathan. "I didn't know, after everything, if you'd want…"

"We did," Jonathan told him, looking down at his hands again. "There's just so much, and…" He sighed and shook his head.

"What?" Steve asked, not caring that other people could see when he put his hand on the side of Jonathan's face. "What's wrong?"

Nervously licking his lips, Jonathan admitted, "We've been fighting lately. A lot." He looked heartbroken to say it.

"Shit," Steve muttered. "About what?"

Before Jonathan could answer, someone called him from the other end of the diner. He told Steve, "Don't go anywhere," like he was afraid Steve would disappear again.

"Okay," Steve said, like a promise.

Ten minutes later, when all the customers had been seen to and Steve's breakfast order had been relayed to the chef, Jonathan leaned over the counter and said, "It feels like we've been fighting about everything. It probably doesn't help that we've been living with her parents."

"Why?" Steve asked. "This place doesn't pay you enough to get a place of your own?"

Nodding, Jonathan told him, "That's part of it."

"What's the other part?"

Jonathan pressed his lips together for a second before taking his wallet out of his pocket and opening it. He pulled out a small rectangular photo and passed it to Steve. "This is why."

As Steve took it, at first he thought it was a picture of Nancy's little sister, Holly, but taken before Steve knew Nancy. The girl in the photo wasn't a baby anymore, but she wasn't a kid either. She had blonde hair, dark eyes, and a bright smile. Steve could tell she looked like Nancy, that much was obvious. He had a harder time seeing her resemblance to Jonathan. 

Until he remembered his own baby pictures.

 _Oh, shit_.

Breathless, Steve wiped the tears out of his eyes and asked Jonathan, "What's her name?"

"Abigail," Jonathan told him. "I mean, we call her Abby."

"Did my--" Steve bit his lip and looked up at Jonathan. "Did my parents know about her?"

Jonathan nodded slowly. "We begged them to bring you back, or let us call you, or send a letter, or _something_ , but they kept… They said she had nothing to do with you."

"They never told me," Steve said, brushing his thumb across the photo. "God, Jonathan, if I'd known…"

"Yeah, I know," Jonathan assured him with a careful smile. "We kinda thought you would have come home after you graduated, but when you didn't…"

Steve sighed. "Jesus, I'm so sorry. I was just… I figured it had been so long, that I was better off trying to forget you. But," he grabbed Jonathan's hand and met his eyes, "even after two years of trying, I couldn't do it. I couldn't forget you."

Jonathan smiled and looked away, his cheeks pink. "Is that why you're back? No other--"

"No other reason," Steve assured him. "I fucked up, staying away this long, I know. But I thought I might go crazy if I didn't at least find out whether it was possible or not."

"I…" Jonathan put his hand over Steve's. "I know I want to make it work, but Nancy…?"

"Shit. Is she pissed?"

Jonathan nodded. "All the time. She's been pretty good about keeping it from Abby, but..." he sighed again. "Like I said, we've been fighting a lot lately."

Steve had no idea what to do. He looked up at Jonathan, about to ask him where to start thinking through the problem, when the bell in the kitchen window rang. Jonathan went over to the window and came back with Steve's breakfast, setting it in front of him.

"You know," Steve said, as he picked up his fork. "I've been waiting tables the past two years."

"Oh, yeah?" Jonathan asked leaning over the counter and watching him as Steve took his first bite. "Where?"

"New York," Steve said. "Thought I'd lose myself in the big city." He took another bite and chewed it.

"How'd that work out?"

Shrugging, Steve swallowed and said, "Turns out you take yourself wherever you go."

With a laugh, Jonathan shook his head. "Finish your breakfast, Steve. I'm only on until ten-thirty. We'll go see Nancy together."

Figuring that was as good a plan as any, Steve said, "Yeah, okay."

~*~

Steve followed Jonathan to the Wheelers' house, driving through the sleepy town on that bright Saturday morning. He'd forgotten how small Hawkins was, how spread out. He couldn't tell whether it was better than New York or not. It was at least different enough that it made him uncomfortable.

Jonathan parked in the Wheelers' driveway, but Steve knew he should park on the street. Honestly, even if Jonathan was living here with them, Steve was surprised Mr. Wheeler let him park in the driveway. Especially since Jonathan was still driving that old beater, which had always been prone to leaking various fluids.

Heading for the front door, Jonathan waved Steve closer. He took a deep breath and followed, not quite sure what to expect.

"Is Nancy's whole family going to be here?"

"Mike is with his friends today, I think," Jonathan said, finding the right key on his keychain. "But otherwise, yeah."

"Great," Steve said, trying not to freak out too much.

Jonathan reached over and took Steve's hand, squeezing it. "It's gonna be okay."

"Yeah, yeah," Steve said with a nod. "Of course."

Jonathan tried the front door, finding it locked. He unlocked it with his key and pushed the door open, holding it open as Steve followed him, and closing it behind Steve. Jonathan called out into the house, "Hey, I'm home! I brought--"

Before he got any further, a small voice called out, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Little footsteps ran toward the door from the kitchen, but as soon as the toddler turned the corner and saw Steve, she stopped short. 

"It's okay," Jonathan told her, taking a few steps over to Abby and picking her up. "This is one of mommy and daddy's old friends. His name is Steve."

"What?" called Nancy's voice from the kitchen. Something clattered and she appeared in the hallway, her eyes wide when she spotted him. "Steve?"

"Hi, Nancy," he said, giving her a stupid little wave. 

"What are you doing here?" she asked, taking another step forward, reaching for Abby and taking her back from Jonathan. 

Not quite sure how to answer the question, Steve nodded at Abby, saying, "I swear, I didn't know. My parents wouldn't tell me anything about you guys, no matter how much I asked."

"What about after you graduated?" Nancy asked. "They weren't in charge of you anymore, and you still didn't call."

"I thought it had been too long," Steve told her. "I was scared you would have moved on."

"You still should have called."

"I know," Steve told her, taking a good look at Abby, heartbroken by how much she looked like his mother. "God, I'm so sorry."

Nancy gave a sharp nod, accepting the apology. Steve knew it would take a lot more to actually earn her forgiveness. It might not even be possible. 

Nancy shifted Abby on her hip and asked, "So, what are you doing in town? Visiting your parents?"

Shaking his head, Steve said, "I haven't spoken to them since graduation."

"Then, why?"

Sighing, Steve told her, "I couldn't … move on. I tried and I couldn't."

"Move on from…?" Nancy asked, shooting Jonathan a quick look. He nodded. 

Pretty sure he knew what Nancy was asking, Steve said, "Yeah."

Nancy looked at Abby, smiling at her and smoothing down her hair. Then she asked Steve, "When do you have to go back?"

"I don't," he told her. "I brought everything with me. I'm staying. I mean, I'm not expecting anything from you guys, but I'm here, in town. I'll go wherever you want. If you want me to leave again, I can do that, too. But I hope you'll let me stay." Gesturing to the girl in Nancy's arms, Steve said, "At least, for Abby's sake."

Nancy gave Steve a long look before nodding. "We can try."

Smiling, Steve said, "I'd like that."

Nancy moved suddenly, passing Abby to Jonathan and then wrapping her arms around Steve. Steve hugged her in return, pressing a kiss to her hair and holding on tight.

"I'm still mad at you," Nancy said, her voice muffled by the way her face was pressed against his chest.

Abby said something to Jonathan, but Steve didn't understand it. Jonathan replied to her, "In a minute, baby."

Steve told Nancy, "I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you." He looked over at Jonathan and Abby, adding, "To make it up to all of you."

Jonathan stepped closer, putting his free arm around Steve, and Steve used one of his arms to pull Jonathan close too.

Abby was right there, too, her hand on Nancy's back, looking at Steve with a timid curiosity.

After a moment, Jonathan cleared his throat and asked, "So, how was military school?"

"It sucked," Steve told him, leaning his temple against Jonathan's. "I barely graduated."

Whispering, Jonathan asked, "Did it work?"

"Did what work?"

"The reason your parents sent you to that school," Jonathan said, obviously choosing his words carefully because of the impressionable child in his arms. "Did it work?"

" _Hell_ , no," Steve told him, squeezing him tighter, still wanting Jonathan just as much as he always had. "I don't know why they thought it would."

"Mommy? Snack?"

"Sure, baby," Nancy said, pulling back and wiping her eyes. She asked Steve, "Will you stay for lunch?"

"I'll stay for a hundred years if you want me to," he replied, rewarded with Nancy's bright smile and a fond shake of her head. 

"I might just hold you to that."


End file.
